1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electric power generators for use in vehicles and, more particularly, to a vehicular alternator adapted to be installed on an automobile and a truck, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a typical example of vehicular alternators known in the art includes a housing with which a stator is supported to rotatably accommodate therein a rotor that carries cooling fans for rotation with the rotor to create a cooling wind that is discharged through discharge windows formed in the housing (see Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 8-37748 (on pages 4to 9 and in FIGS. 1 to 8). With such a related art vehicular alternator, probabilities occur wherein with a vehicle traveling on unpaved roads, muddy water, splashed by tires during traveling of the vehicle, enters an engine room and penetrates an interior of the vehicular alternator through the discharge windows formed in the housing, facilitating corrosion in component parts. This can result in the penetration of muddy water into brush-sliding areas to cause abnormal wear in a brush with a resultant abnormality in operation to generate electric power. For countermeasures against such an issue, the simplest technique has been proposed to provide a waterproof cover by which the vehicular alternator is covered to enhance waterproof properties (see Invention-Association Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-004939 (on Page 1 and in FIGS. 1 and 2).
Also note that in cases where the waterproof cover is mounted onto the vehicular alternator so as to cover the same, cooling wind discharged from the discharge windows of the housing hits the waterproof cover and increases ventilation resistance of the cooling wind, resulting in deterioration in cooling property.